Answering the cusp call of the urban sprawl

Living on the edge, and loving it ... Jamie, 2, Rebecca, 8, Adrian, 5, and Daniel, 10, with their parents Joanne and Robert Arcuri. Photo: Brendan Esposito

The wide open spaces, quality schooling, affordable property and strong community spirit have been a magnet for young families to Sydney's south west.

Robert and Joanne Arcuri live in Austral, about 45 kilometres from Sydney, with their children, Daniel, 10, Rebecca, 8, Adrian, 5, and Jamie, 2.

Daniel's parents say he can pick up the phone and have five friends at the house within 10 minutes.

"He's got a better social life than me," Mr Arcuri, 38, said.

Unlike inner-city suburbs such as Leichhardt or Woollahra, where coffee shops seem to take precedence over playgrounds, the Arcuris said Austral's neighbourly atmosphere made it ideal for raising a family.

"I wouldn't want to be nearer the city," Mrs Arcuri, 35, said.

"There's plenty out here; the kids can do everything. And the people here are all good people.

"There is nowhere else in Sydney where you get everything like you do out here: the open spaces, the parks, the schools."

The Arcuris say the south-west is attractive for families who want to escape the claustrophobic feel of the inner city but still have access to all the services children require: schools, hospitals, cinemas, shopping malls, sporting clubs and recreational facilities.

Mr Arcuri said he also liked the semi-rural lifestyle.

"When we got married we lived in Seven Hills. The kids were in everybody's place; you didn't know who they belonged to."

Mrs Arcuri grew up in Greystanes, in Sydney's west, and was initially uncertain about her husband's plans to build a family on the cusp of Sydney's urban sprawl.

"She thought I was taking her out to the sticks ... that it was all hillbillies out here."

But after 10 years in Austral his wife is a convert.

"The kids can have fun and do their own thing - and we've got everything we need here," she said.

Big shopping centres, such as Liverpool, are close, and the M5 has provided easy access to the city.

"You don't want to have the kids too isolated," said Mr Arcuri, who runs a family wholesale business.

Mrs Arcuri said the area had grown rapidly and it was now more difficult to secure a place for children in local schools.